Starcrossed
by SnapCracklePop
Summary: Third part in series. Peyton and Lucas had been the perfect couple until their marriage fell apart. The bad behavior of their daughter will bring them together.
1. Through the Eyes of a Child

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or anything associated. 

A/N: This story mostly focuses on Cameran and how she gets her parents back together. It takes place ten years later meaning that the adults (Lucas, Peyton, Nathan and Haley) are 35, Cameran is 17, Ben and Gavin are 14, Riley and Connor are 11. There probably isn't going to be much Brooke in this story but she could make an appearance.

**Chapter One  
Through the Eyes of a Child**

"Hello this is Mrs. Watson, the principal at your daughter's school. We need you and your husband to come to the school in regards to your daughter Cameran's behavior." This was the third time in the past month that Peyton had received a call from the school.

"I will be there in a few minutes. My husband and I are separated so you will have to contract him at his office." She told the principal.

Begrudgingly Peyton set down the drawing that she had been working on and headed out the door. She drove the familiar route to the high school. A scowl came over her face when she saw her daughter, once again, sitting in the principal's office.

"I'm sorry to inform you that your husband couldn't make it today. We will have to proceed without him." The principal said, she had also begun to grow impatient with the situation.

"It figures. He's never here." Cameran muttered under her breath. Peyton shot her a look before taking a seat next to her daughter.

"What did she do this time and how long is she suspended for?" Peyton asked shortly. She had been through this so many times that she had no use for the petty formalities. The year before Cameran had been getting into trouble at her private school and after a few incidents they had thrown her out. It was only October, two months into the year at her new school, and Cameran was already on the verge of being expelled again.

"During third period we caught your daughter outside with some older students smoking pot." Mrs. Watson told her. Peyton simply shook her head and rubbed her temple, she could feel a headache coming on. "The other students are in police custody and are facing drug charges. We didn't feel it was necessary to impose the same punishment on Cameran because she is still a minor and because of her academic record. We are aware that she is an intelligent girl and received a 1500 on her SAT's. A criminal record would lessen her chances of being accepted to Ivy League colleges, however we are required to site this behavior on her school record. She will be suspended for no less than five days. I also recommend possibly sending her to therapy. This behavior is typical of a child that is acting out. In most cases therapy can help resolve any issues she is having."

"I'm not going to a shrink!" Cameran shouted and charged out of the room.

"I'm sorry for her outburst and all the trouble she is causing. I will take into consideration what you said." Peyton said as she followed her daughter into the parking lot.

The car ride home was silent. Neither of the two dared make eye contact in fear of an argument. The last thing they wanted was to run off the road. When they finally managed to get back home without killing each other, Cameran ran up to her room and slammed the door.

"Excuse me young lady get back down her right now!" Peyton yelled up the stairs. After giving several commands to that effect with no response, she went up to her daughter's room. It wasn't hard to get in seeing as she had taken the door off a month before after she caught her with her boyfriend. Nothing had happened but she had a feeling it would have if she hadn't walked in.

Peyton disproved strongly of Cameran's boyfriend Damien. He was twenty years old and had his own apartment which Cameran had professed was 'so cool'. He dropped out of college and was currently unemployed. The suspicious part was that he drove a BMW and always wore name brand clothes. She hoped that his money came from his parents and not illegal activities. The worst part about him was his overall attitude toward women. He was a player to say the least and Peyton hated that his arrogance was the trait her daughter had fallen for.

"When I speak to you, you better listen." She said angrily to her daughter.

"Yeah whatever." Cameran was too busy instant messaging on her computer. Peyton promptly leaned over and switched off the computer. "Hey what was that for?"

"Don't give me that attitude. Now you are grounded for an extra week."Peyton was on her last nerve.

"Who said I was grounded in the first place?" Cameran shot back.

"You need to have more respect. Maybe Mrs. Watson was right about therapy." She threatened.

"Why don't you ask Dad about therapy? He's a psychiatrist after all. Maybe he can actually do something for once." Cameran said as she got up and grabbed her coat.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Peyton asked. Whenever they got into a fight she would always bring up Lucas.

"I'll be at Damien's apartment while you figure it out." She told her mother as she brushed past.

"You can't leaver, you're grounded!" Peyton yelled after her.

"Try and stop me!" Cameran shouted back before slamming the door. Peyton broke down in tears when she heard her daughters car pull out of the driveway. Where had she gone wrong with her parenting?

_Flashback_

_Ten year old Cameran sat on the steps listening to her parents fight in the kitchen. It wasn't the first time she had done it either, but this time was especially bad. __Everyday Lucas got home later and later from work and as the hours passed Peyton would pace around wondering where he was. Cameran would stay up with her mother and comfort her but when Lucas finally returned she would send her back up to her room. Most of the time she lingered in the hallway to overhear their conversation. This night she was sorry that she did. _

"Where have you been. It's nearly ten o'clock at night. There is no reason to be at the office that late!" Peyton shouted at her husband when he walked in the door.

_"Peyton I'm not in the mood to fight with you tonight. I had a patient call in for an emergency appointment. I couldn't turn her away." Lucas told her tiredly. After a long day at work he wanted to avoid confrontation. _

"It's that new secretary isn't ?" Peyton asked in a lower tone.

"There is nothing happening with Nicolette." Lucas said firmly.

"Oh so now your on a first name basis. Isn't that romantic." Peyton spat sarcastically.

"Are you accusing me of having an affair?" He asked in disbelief.

"If the shoe fits."

"I thought you had more trust than that Peyton. I could never do that to you."

"I don't see why you're denying it anymore. All those late nights pretty much gave it away."

_"I think you should leave." Peyton whispered. _

_"What? Why?" Luke stuttered._

_"I said leave." She said louder and firmer this time. It was something that they both saw coming but were too afraid to ever say. Something about that moment made Peyton finally snap._

_"I'll be at Nathan and Haley's house if you come to your senses." Lucas said as he grabbed his briefcase and stormed out the door. She never did._

_End Flashback_

Cameran sat in her car outside Damien's apartment and remembered that event. It was seven years earlier but she remembered it clear as day. That was the moment when her life fell apart. Her father had thrown himself into his work after that to avoid thinking about his family and they barely saw him anymore. Her mother had become bitter because she knew that she was wrong in her accusations. Both of them were too stubborn to make things right so their marriage continued to deteriorate. Cameran took the separation the hardest out of the four kids. She was the oldest and understood the gravity of the situation. She was never the same after that night. She misbehaved in class but her parents were too wrapped up in their own problems to realize what was really going on.

Cameran wiped a tear from her eye and got out of the car. Being with Damien was the only way she found that could help her forget her pain.


	2. Final Straw

Chapter Two  
Final Straw 

Peyton lay in bed and watched as the sun rose early the next morning. She hadn't slept at all the night before because she couldn't help but blame herself for Cameran's behavior. There must have been something that she had done wrong raising her. Since the day her daughter had been born she was afraid that she wouldn't know how to be a mother because she had grown up without one. Now her worst fear had come true.

She wiped a tear from her eye as she looked at the family picture next to the bed. They had taken it only a month before Lucas and Peyton separated. Peyton wished that everything could go back to the way it was then, everyone was happy then.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Eleven year old Riley stood in the doorway of her mother's bedroom. "Are you sad because you got into a fight with Cameran last night?"

"Come here baby. You don't have to worry about those things." Peyton told her youngest child as she patted the bed next to her. Riley quickly snuggled up in bed next to her mother.

"I promise that I won't leave you mommy. I don't think Cammie means to hurt you. I think she just misses daddy."

"Do you miss your dad too?" Peyton asked in amazement at how someone so young could read people's feelings.

"I don't know. I like it when I see him on the weekends."Riley shrugged. She had been only four years old when her parents separated. The only life she knew was spending the week with her mom and the weekends with her dad. It didn't even seem strange to only see her father two days a week.

Peyton sat silently as Riley switched on the television and began to watch cartoons. Listening to her daughter talk about Lucas made her realize how her children had been deprived of their father. Most eleven year olds could go on and on about the time they had spent with their dads but Riley couldn't even honestly say that she missed him.

At the end of the cartoon Peyton got out of bed to take a shower. Most households were still asleep at seven in the morning but not the Scotts. Lucas made a point to spend as much time with his kids, which meant picking them up at eight a.m. every Saturday. He would take them to breakfast then to the recreation center for Gavin's basketball game. Despite his busy schedule, Luke managed to find the time to coach his son's team.

Just when the warm water started to help her relax, Peyton heard the front door slam and footsteps come up the stairs. She quickly threw on her robe and exited the bathroom just in time to see Cameran scurry into her room. There was no use in confronting her about being out all night because they would only end up in another pointless argument.

Peyton went into her other kids' bedrooms to tell them to get ready for their father's arrival. Riley was always an early riser but she was surprised to find Ben and Gavin awake as well. It was only recently that the twins had decided not to share a room. Partly because they were fourteen years old and needed their privacy, but also because they were so different. Gavin was sitting on his bed playing NBA Live while Ben was engrossed in a book.

Cautiously Peyton opened the door to Cameran's room. She had already fallen asleep, still in her clothes.

"Cameran you need to wake up. Your dad is coming in five minutes."

"Yeah whatever." She replied groggily and slowly got up from bed.

The doorbell rang not to long after and all the kids, including Cameran, rushed downstairs to meet their father. Just before Lucas left, Peyton stopped him at the door.

"Luke, we need to talk."

"Sure but can we make this quick? The game starts in an hour."

"It's about Cameran." She told him and his face immediately became serious. "She got suspended yesterday for smoking pot."

"We have to do something about this. She can't keep getting away with things this serious." He said sternly.

"Well maybe you could try and talk to her for once because I just can't seem to do anything right." She replied sarcastically.

"Peyton don't try and pin this on me. I know that I'm not around as much as I should be but that doesn't make me responsible for every problem." Lucas yelled angrily. He always vowed to be a good father figure but somehow things didn't turn out that way.

"Fine, whatever. Just talk to her." Peyton told him in an exhausted tine. Without a good-bye Luke left, slamming the door behind him. All of their conversations ended with shouting and someone leaving. Where had they gone wrong?

Almost five hours later the kids entered their father's house with Lucas close behind them. They were all still pumped up from Gavin's game. His team won by one point in the final seconds.

The younger kids scrambled to the playroom to try out the new video games that their dad had bought them, leaving Cameran and Like alone in the living room.

"You know we have to talk about what happened, right?" He finally broke the silence.

"What do you mean?" She asked trying to sound innocent.

"Your mom told me everything. I know about the marijuana and you being suspended again."

"What a bitch! She always had to make things worse." Cameran shouted.

"Don't talk about your mother like that. She is only looking out for you. You need to learn to have some respect." Lucas was shocked at how bad his daughter's attitude was. The situation was worse than he thought,

"I give respect when it's deserved." She told him defiantly as she walked toward the door.

"Where do you think you are going?" Luke shouted at his daughter's retreating figure.

"Out."

"No, you're not. I didn't say you could leave."

"What gives you the idea that I have to listen to you? You can't just walk into my life every weekend and tell me what to do. It doesn't work that way." He stood in awe as Cameran left. Her words had hurt him because they were true, he didn't deserve respect.

Lucas made his way to the playroom to spend some quality time with his other children. He hoped that it wasn't too late to save his relationship with them.

At 1:30 in the morning both Lucas and Peyton were woken up by the ringing of their phones at their respective houses. The caller identified himself as a police officer and told them to come down to the station to pick up their daughter.

They pulled into the parking lot almost simultaneously and exchanged glances.

"I thought you were going to take care of this." Peyton told him.

"I tried but she wouldn't listen. She just ran out."

"So it wasn't as easy as you thought it would be." She gloated.

"Can we drop this? We have other things to worry about." He asked as they entered the station. Immediately they were relieved to see Cameran sitting unharmed with another officer.

"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Scott" The officer from the phone greeted them. "We caught you daughter trying to buy liquor with a fake I.D."

"What kind of trouble is she in?" Lucas asked. His tone was even but his body language showed his discomfort.

"Because her record was clean we decided to let her go with a warning." The cop told them.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Peyton led her former husband outside.

"What do you think we should do about this?" He inquired.

"I don't think grounding her is going to do any good. That Damien guy is a bad influence on her. Maybe a change of environment would help." She suggested.

"What are you saying.?"

"Maybe it would be best to move back to Tree Hill."


End file.
